Saturday, September 30, 2006

John grew up in Alburg Springs, Vermont. Look on a map and you will see that this town is in the northwest corner of Vermont, only about a mile from Canada and right on Lake Champlain. John's brother Mark still lives here and we stopped in for a visit. We enjoyed a nice lunch that Sue had prepared and then decided to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Of course, we had to stop by the lake.

We also took a hike around Mud Creek.

Later we drove to North Hero for supper. We were joined by another of John's brothers, Bruce and his wife, JoAnne. They are in the process of moving to North Hero and will soon be the new owners of Holiday Harbor Motel.

Mark and Sue, John and Tracy, Bruce and JoAnne

It's not often that we are able to get together like this. Sure was fun!

Friday, September 29, 2006

Today begins the vacation part of our trip. It rained last night as predicted and temperatures were noticeably cooler. In the 50's all day.

Before we left Jersey, we drove by our old house near North Branch. Last we had heard, the place was empty, but it appears to occupied now. No one was home so we didn't poke around too much without permission. Some things have changed, but this house which is well over 100 years old is still looking good.

Robyn, I tried to get a picture of the backyard, but a large dog was chained up back there and didn't like me getting too close. This is the best I could do.The large tree in the picture is the black walnut tree where you had your swing. Can you see the lilac bushes in the background? I remember they were in bloom when Matt was born. The maple tree and apple tree are still there, but the willow is gone. I noticed a large white Leghorn in the chicken house. Dad and I enjoyed our trip down memory lane. This was a good place to live.

Back on the road again. It rained lightly most of the morning. Our route took us through the Catskill Mountains. The leaves are barely beginning to turn. I think it's a little late this year.

Stopped in Saratoga Springs to stretch our legs and do some yarning. Saratoga Needle Arts was my favorite stop. It's a great shop. Lots of yarn and an excellent staff. I've been in the mood to knit a cardigan and I found a nice pattern and some yarn too.

Next stop, Lake George, New York. This is where we're spending the night. The lake is so beautiful. Clear, clean water with a mountain backdrop.

And just for fun, here's a picture of a pumpkin outside The Log Jam Restaurant where we ate supper.Yes, it's real...and I thought everything was bigger in Texas.

Tomorrow we drive to Vermont, where John grew up. From this point on I have a feeling we won't have access to the internet. I'll post all when we return home (unless I get lucky and find free wi-fi). We fly home on Monday.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

I did more exploring than yarning today. I walked out of Aunt Jean's Handiworks with only one skein of Trekking XXL. This shop sells supplies for weaving, spinning and knitting. The spinning wheels caught my eye, but the only problem was they were up on a really high shelf. Couldn't get to them. On second thought, that's probably a good thing.

Clinton, New Jersey is a beautful town. It's best known landmark is the Red Mill.Built in 1810, it originally operated as a woolen mill. It has also processed grains, plaster, talc and graphite. Today it is a museum. There's quite a history behind this mill and it was fun to tour the exhibits.

There were many geese on the river today. They kept me entertained and gave my camera a workout. I took lots of pictures, but won't overdo it here.

After John returned from work, we drove to Ken Lockwood Gorge so he could indulge in a little fly fishing.

Occasionally a slight breeze would blow and leaves would flutter to the ground. A sure sign of Autumn.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

We spent a lot of the day in the car driving. Most of time we were on the Turnpike or Parkway. Not much to see but trees and they haven't started to show their fall color yet, so not many pictures today.

Visited a couple of company facilities. One is in the Meadowlands which is just across the river from Manhattan.It was a bit hazy/smoggy. When we first arrived the air was actually brown, but it cleared up some before we left.

Worked on the sock while John tended to business.

John and I have been reminiscing about when we lived in New Jersey. It was almost twenty years ago. We were in our twenties, our daughter was four years old and our son was not yet born when we were transferred here. Our stay was short (only about three years), but it was full of happy memories. Some of which include Robyn's first day of school and Matt's birth. I loved living here and I hope to visit our old place before we leave.

We're staying in Clinton for a couple of nights. Tomorrow I plan to go yarning and exploring.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Today while John was in meetings, I explored the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

The weather was beautiful. Warm enough for short sleeves, but not hot. Stopped in a few tourist traps, but didn't buy anything. I'm not sure how long the boardwalk is. Several miles, I guess. If you get tired of walking you can always hire a cart.

No cart for me. I walked the whole time so I could justify a sweet treat. This place serves the best non-fat frozen yogurt ever!

The beach is still my favorite part of Atlantic City. There were more people out enjoying the surf and sand today than yesterday, but this time of year I think the gulls outnumber the people.

John is finished with his part of the meetings here, so tomorrow we head north to central New Jersey to tour some company facilities. Did I ever mention I used to live in New Jersey?

No time to sleep. The trip begins today. Up at 4:30 and out of the house by 5:30. Sunrise as viewed through a window at Houston Hobby Airport.

Non-stop to Philadephia. John sleeps and I knit on my sock. The city from above.

On to our destination, Atlantic City. The company meeting is at Bally's, so that is where we're staying. We have a nice room with a fabulous view of the ocean.

Most everyone comes here for the casinos, but I'm not a bit interested in that. The weather is perfect for walks along the shore though very few people are taking advantage of the beauty that's just beyond the boardwalk.

John wishes he had packed his salt water fishing gear.

I'm wishing I had thought to bring the sock I'm knitting for a update photo.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Next week's blog will read more like a travel journal than a knitting blog. John has meetings to attend in New Jersey and I'm tagging along. We'll take a few days at the end to drive through New York and finally on to Vermont to visit family. I'm expecting to see some beautiful scenery and to experience some real fall weather. I'm really looking forward to this trip.

The only knitting I think I'm going to pack is the sock I'm working on. Of course, I'll have my yarn shop guide with me. When John is working during the day, I'll be on my own to explore. There just might be a yarn shop nearby, you never know.

Did pretty well knitting pumpkin hats and booties this week for The Preemie Project. I'll knit a couple of pairs of booties later today and put everything in the mail before we leave.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

The Preemie Project is one year old this month. It was September 2005 that this group made it's first donation of hats, booties and blankets to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. We were small in number then and worked hard to make enough items for that first donation.

In a year's time this group has grown by leaps and bounds. It is now a corporation with a board of directors and a large number of volunteers, both local and national. It soon will be receiving a tax exempt status.

What started with a simple request on a knitting blog to join together and knit for the little babies has turned into something much bigger than any of us (except Laura) could have imagined back then. There are now two chapters operating. One in Iowa and one in Michigan.

I've been with The Preemie Project since it's early days and I can say that even though it has grown quickly, it has not lost it's ability to make each volunteer feel a part of something special. Every donation and volunteer is truly appreciated. Join us and use your talents to help others. You'll be glad you did.

Today I spent some time at the sewing machine making blankets for The Preemie Project's upcoming Halloween donation.

Twelve small blankets ready to be mailed as soon as I knit some more pumpkin hats and booties.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

This picture shows three miniature pumpkins ready for felting. If you try the pattern don't be surprised at the pre-felted shape. I know it looks more like a football, but in the end it will look like a pumpkin. I promise.

I decided to make one of these into a pincushion. I did a little research and found that a pincushion can be stuffed with anything. It's really a matter of personal taste. Pincushions are often filled with sawdust, but you can use cotton batting, wool roving, poly-fil, emery (metal shavings) or fine sand. I read here that wool roving was often used in combination with sawdust. The lanolin in the wool roving keeps the pins from rusting.

I wanted the one I made to be solid and firm, so I decided to use sawdust. Since I needed only a small amount, I bought an inexpensive tomato pincushion, cut it apart and used the sawdust inside. This cushion also came with a strawberry emery, which I left intact and sewed inside the stem of the pumpkin.

You can see the pumpkin pincushion below along with some new pumpkins that have been added to my pumpkin patch.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

I'm on a felting kick again. This time it's pumpkins. The large pumpkin is made from a pattern I picked up in Utah. Even though the pattern was free, it's copyrighted so I can't share it. But, I can share how I made the small pumpkins since they are creations of mine. They are about the same size of the ornamental gourd pumpkins you can buy in the store this time of year.

MINIATURE FELTED PUMPKIN

Pumpkin:

Yarn: Use any natural fiber yarn that will shrink when washed. I used Cascade Pastaza in Burnt Orange.

Needles: Double point needles in appropriate size. Use a couple of sizes larger than recommended for your yarn. The goal is to create a loosely knitted fabric. US Size 11 is usually good for worsted weight and is what I used.

Cast on 15 stitches and join in the round.K 2 rndsInc 1, k1, inc 1, k2. Repeat to the end of the round. (21 sts)K 3 rndsInc 1, k3, inc 1, k2. Repeat to the end of the round. (27 sts)K 10 rndsK2tog, k3, k2tog, k2. Repeat to the end of the round. (21 sts)K 3 rndsK2tog, k1, k2tog, k2. Repeat to the end of the round. (15 sts)K 1 rndK2tog around to last stitch, K1 (8 sts)K2tog around (4 sts)

Cut yarn. Draw through remaining sts to close. Weave in ends. Leave the top of the pumpkin open to add stuffing later.

Felt in the washing machine until desired size is acheived and stitches are no longer visible. There are many ways to shrink your knitting. The way that works for me is to use hot water, a small amount of soap (Eucalan Woolwash), high agitation and the lowest water level setting available. I also throw in an old pair of jeans to help with the agitation. When the felting is finished, I set the machine to the spin cycle for just long enough to remove the excess water, but not long enough to set permanant creases in my knitting.

Stuff the pumpkin while it is still damp so that you can shape it as you want. With a tapestry needle and yarn, sew a running stitch around the opening and draw closed. Using lengths of yarn, form sections by wrapping yarn around pumpkin and drawing tight to shape. Tie knots on the top of the pumpkin. The knots will be hidden by the stem.Stem

Yarn: Worsted Weight

Needles: US 6 Dpns

Cast on 12 sts. and join in the round.K 4 rndsK2tog around (6 sts)K2tog around (3 sts)Work I-cord on remaining sts until desired length. Bind off. Weave in ends.Using a sewing needle and thread, sew stem to top of pumpkin. Use a little stuffing to fill in bottom of stem if desired.

Be creative and have fun with this pattern. Combine different colored yarns together to get a variegated look. Use up those little bits of yarn you've been saving and bust your stash.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

One down. One to go. I started this sock as soon as I finished John's Trekking socks. It's knitting up much faster than his. Could be because it's for me and I have a smaller foot or maybe the self-striping yarn is compelling me to keep on knitting. The yarn I'm using is a wool/cotton/nylon blend that should be perfect for the warm climate of Texas.

This basic crew sock has short row heels and short row toes (Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts method). It's the best fitting sock I've ever made! The only trouble I'm having with the short row heel is a gap develops in the last few stitches. Of course, I never notice this until I'm way past the point of going back and fixing it. There are some things to do to avoid this gap, so I'll see how the next sock goes.

Can't wait to finish this pair. If I could knit as fast as these ladies, I'd have a drawer full of hand knit socks in no time. Jean met these ladies on a visit to Fair Isle. Click here for the post that goes with the video. I'm totally amazed!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

What's the use of having a travel trailer if you don't use it, right? So before we put it back in storage, we took it to Palacios, Texas for the Labor Day weekend. Palacios is known as "The City By The Sea". It's true it's on the water, but calling it a city may be a stretch. It's a quiet little town, even when it's loaded with visitors like it was this weekend.

I did a little exploring on Saturday. Visited the museum exhibit about The La Salle Odyssey. I was hoping to learn more about the history of the town, but the full museum has been closed for years. Apparently the roof was damaged during a hurricane and it's taken a long time to raise money for repairs. It will re-open in two years. However, there are several painted murals on buildings throughout town that depict the history and culture of the area.

The real attraction in Palacios is the bay. There's a great walkway along the bayshore and several public piers for fishing.

John relaxed by fishing to his heart's content. I relaxed by knitting, of course.This is just the beginning of pumpkin hats and booties for The Preemie Project. Patterns here and here.

Friday, September 01, 2006

The holding areas are filling up with compressed fresh picked cotton, waiting to be ginned.

The cotton gins are running around the clock. They will work non-stop until all the cotton is ginned and baled. During a bumper year that might be until Christmas. There's a gin just a few blocks from my house and at night when everything is quiet, you can hear the engines humming.

It's a common sight to see bits of white fluff littering the road, because inevitably some escapes the truck as it is transported from field to gin. I think cotton looks best in it's natural form...